as in wary
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Recent Examples of gun-shy
Underneath the puns and pumps was a dress-down of the rom-com that ultimately told the story of a woman who fell in love, came out worse, and became gun-shy.
—
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 30 May 2025
Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
But that ending has yet to be printed: in a documentary climate in which corporations are growing increasingly gun-shy, The Stringer does not yet have a distributor.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race early (followed later by her fellow female candidates, senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren), and some pundits speculated that Democratic primary voters were gun-shy of nominating another woman after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 July 2024
The Price of Entry Apart from elevated risks, there are several other reasons why international firms are likely to remain gun-shy about India.
—Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2022
Digital transformation made employers more selective and gun-shy about entry-level hiring, but generative AI will take it to a new level.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 30 May 2025
Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
But that ending has yet to be printed: in a documentary climate in which corporations are growing increasingly gun-shy, The Stringer does not yet have a distributor.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race early (followed later by her fellow female candidates, senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren), and some pundits speculated that Democratic primary voters were gun-shy of nominating another woman after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 July 2024
The Price of Entry Apart from elevated risks, there are several other reasons why international firms are likely to remain gun-shy about India.
—Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2022
Digital transformation made employers more selective and gun-shy about entry-level hiring, but generative AI will take it to a new level.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun-shy
Adjective
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The pattern has left Iranians wary that any sign of instability is met with brutal suppression.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2025
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Does the entertainment industry have a right to be wary of AI at this stage?—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Flush with promise: After decades of trying to court leery American consumers, high-tech Japanese toilet makers are finally seeing a shift.—
Natasha Frost,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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The Republican governor has been leery of the more visually violent execution method.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Chiefs, who have a history of being cautious with their rookies during summer practices, nonetheless had Simmons participate in non-team drills during rookie minicamp last month.—
Jesse Newell,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2025
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Here are some tips to choose high-quality olive oil: Be cautious with olive oils that bear significantly lower prices.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Watch out for slippery roads: Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
7 June 2025
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But as the Trump administration has rolled out immigration policies targeting Venezuelans, Haitians and Cubans, GOP officials in Miami have had to draw a careful balance between supporting the White House and the many immigrants in their district affected by Trump’s immigration agenda.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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It will be decided on by a conservative-majority Supreme Court that has been skeptical of considerations of race in public life.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
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These regions were often skeptical of centralized power, and reformers pushed for tools like the initiative and referendum to give citizens a way to bypass political machines and corporate influence.—
Jeremy Kohler,
ProPublica,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Conservatives in the country are distrustful of China and see Lee as too friendly with the powerful neighbor.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
3 June 2025
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During Trump’s first term, his negotiator, Stephen Biegun, struggled to get face time with his North Korean counterparts, who were deeply distrustful of Trump’s advisers.—
John Delury,
Foreign Affairs,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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LifeLock Ultimate Plus monitors all three major credit bureaus to maintain a watchful eye on your credit reports and credit score.—
Advertising Content From Norton,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2025
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Vargas tried to keep a watchful eye over her daughter.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Goldman downgraded the Club stock to hold from buy, saying this is now a show-me story.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
30 Apr. 2025
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For various examples and further detailed indications about the nature and use of the show-me versus tell-me prompting strategy, see my coverage at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gun-shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun-shy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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